When ordering spare and wear parts many line operators primarily focus on their costs for maintenance. However, this is the first area where they could cut down on their additional outgoings as requesting and ordering components from a number of different suppliers is obviously more time and cost intensive than if these are specifically supplied by the systems manufacturer.
High product quality
When KHS questions customer personnel responsible for production as to what they find important, production reliability is inevitably given top priority, coupled with a fair pricing system and warranty for parts and the function thereof. Reliability starts with the actual purchase: unlike various suppliers of MRO or maintenance, repair and operations KHS provides all the necessary parts from a single source. It goes without saying that expert advice and an assured long-term supply of spare parts are all part of the deal. The systems manufacturer also adheres to current legal regulations and ensures that the relevant specific part is fully tested, has a long service life and a good fitting accuracy. It is thus worth taking a look at the overall costs. For a shopping cart containing all of the required items, even in direct comparison original parts are often less costly than the total sum of the spare and wear parts sourced from a variety of third-party suppliers. KHS has this regularly checked by different independent external organizations.
High part quality also yields high production reliability, for these parts have no undesired side effects on the other components in the system. Only with original parts are the correct fit, material composition, surface quality and suitability for use with foodstuffs ensured.
Detailed advice when procuring parts
A full, regularly updated history of the machine documentation enables parts to be procured just as the customer requires. Even without the part number, thanks to KHS’ product-specific expertise its customers always receive the exact part they need for the job on hand. KHS Service experts also support clients during regular line inspections: an important step towards professional condition-based maintenance and therefore permanently high line availability with reduced maintenance costs. Here, KHS Service provides all-round advice and is available locally.
Extensive discontinuation management
Should a specific part no longer be available, KHS provides an extensive system of discontinuation management. In each individual case customers learn in good time of the date from which a certain part will no longer be available. KHS also regularly replaces obsolete parts with equivalent successor components without any extra cost to the customer. In some cases machine conversion is a good idea; reliably executed by KHS, this ensures the service life of the line for many more years and even extends it, thus further reducing the cost of amortization.
Good service for long-term optimization
On a line or machine which produces reliably quality assurance goes far beyond the mere availability, fitting accuracy and durability of a spare part. KHS thus continuously improves and optimizes maintenance intervals and concepts. Periodic line optimization with the focus on media consumption, hygiene standards, production capacity or occupational health and safety also makes for long-term product safety and production reliability. In addition, auditing production processes in cooperation with independent management consultants, such as CIM Aachen or TÜV, can help to identify any weak points in the system and enhance employee qualification, in turn optimizing production planning and production processing.
All told, thanks to considerably lower process costs and less logistical effort KHS’ one-stop service thus not only greatly cuts the cost of maintenance per production unit but also verifiably lengthens the system’s life cycle – with all the further cost benefits which come with it.